Medically assisted deaths in last half of 2017 up almost 30 per cent
OTTAWA — Almost 4,000 people have chosen medical assistance to end their lives since the practice became legal in Canada two years ago.
That includes 1,525 in the last six months of 2017 — a 29 per cent increase over the first half of the year.
The statistics are contained in a third interim report from Health Canada, which is planning to implement a permanent, national reporting and monitoring system for assisted deaths in the fall.
In the meantime, the department has been compiling statistics at six-month intervals, based on incomplete data provided by the provinces and territories.